Inspector John Rebus has confronted Edinburgh's most hardened criminals, its bloodiest crime scenes, and its most dangerous backstreets, but nothing could have prepared him for what he finds on Fleshmarket Alley.

In the city's red-light district, men live out their sordid fantasies, and women with no other choice sell their bodies to make a buck. It's a neighborhood of lost inhibitions, forgotten scruples, and hopeless dreams. In its seediest clubs, refugees seeking asylum are subjected to the whims of the most ruthless characters in the crime world...men Rebus knows all too well. Download and start listening now!

BK_BRLL_000744

Listener Opinions

Joyce Lagow | 2/5/2014

" Another in the Inspector Rebus series.[return][return] Due to reorganization of his old precinct, Rebus and other St. Leonard's CID personnel have been reassigned; he and Siobhan Clarke are now operating out of Gayfield Square and find themselves in new territory. The central plot concerns the murder of an asylum seeker in an Edinburg housing project that has become housing predominantly for immigrants, many of them probably illegal; the murder is being treated as a race crime and Rebus is the only one who is serious about the investigation. Meantime, Siobhan has been drrawn into searching for a missing teenager, the younger sister of a young woman who was brutally raped and murdered a few years back; the case winds up involving the murder of the rapist and a community that is perfectly happy to cover up for whoever did it.[return][return]While both threads are separate, they do intertwine since the course of both investigations lead to Edinburg's sex industry, the world of strip clubs and pornography. The social issue of Scotland's asylum seekers is central to the plot and very well handled. [return][return]The plot is complex enough to satisfy the most demanding readers. Rankin really writes novels that happen to be police procedurals. But in this one, the reader gets more than a hint that both Rebus AND Rankin are getting tired of the chase. "

Monsters X | 1/29/2014

" Boy, that Glasgow sure is gritty. "

Robert | 1/24/2014

" Well plotted and interesting story. Includes actual issues of relevance! Well delineated characters and a very funny ending. "

Fredrick Danysh | 1/18/2014

" An immigrant is murdered in Edinberg, Scotland, skeletons are found buried in concrete in a bar cellar, and a girl is missing. While Inspector John Rebus and his partner Detective Siobhan Clarke investigate they also uncover a human smuggling ring. The big question is "Who is pulling the strings?" An intersesting read that looks at numerous social problems. "

Cindy | 1/13/2014

" I liked listening to this story with a Scottish accent. It was a decent mystery. The main characters were likable, and I'll probably read more by this author. "

Sue Bratton | 1/10/2014

" Good--I like those UK mysteries. "

Mary | 1/5/2014

" Whitemire - a detention center for asylum seekers, mostly from the Middle East. Knoxland - a low income housing estate, run by the Council. Fleshmarket Alley - a sleazy area in Edinburgh. The Nook - a bar in the Fleshmarket area where the skeletons of a mother and child have been recently unearthed from beneath a concrete floor. The Bane - a bar in Baneville that is frequented by a recently released rapist.[return][return]The mix of these places is integrated into the story, but I found it all a bit forced. Rankin's detective John Rebus and his current police partner Siobhan carry out their separate investigations - the one of Rebus starts with the skeletons, the one of Siobhan starts with the rapist - and the writing is always interesting. But it felt to me that Rankin had an agenda, and that took away from the story itself.[return][return]This is my least favorite of the Rankin books I've read so far. "

Esme | 1/2/2014

" I always end up reading a couple of these every summer...I actually haven't got around to it yet this year, but the point is, the fact that John Rebus spends half the books is dingy scottish pubs makes it worth it. "

False Millennium | 1/2/2014

" Still reading through the complete works of Rankin. This one didn't grab me as much, not due to lack of writing skill, but rather subject matter. I just wasn't as drawn into the stories of illegal immigrants in Scotland. "

April | 12/28/2013

" I love DI Rebus. He is pretty kickass. "

Sharon Lucas | 12/13/2013

" There's a reason Ian Rankin has won so many awards - he write very good books! The mystery and suspense move along at a nice clip, and all of the loose ends are gathered up very plausibly in the final chapters. "

Pete Kelly | 11/20/2013

" I have read them all.There is no doubt the later novels, like this one, are best. They are all worth reading. The characters develop over the course of the series and become more real with every novel. Fine writing and great stories. "

Daffy | 8/29/2013

" I adore Rebus and I have a firm picture of Brian Cox in my mind whilst reading. I do have a small criticism in that the end always seems a little hurried as if the writer can't wait to finish the book - is he being hassled by the publisher? "

David | 7/30/2013

" Good read with quite a tiff between Rebus and Siobhan. "

Artemis | 5/12/2013

" It was a tricky one. It looks like a tangled up web. I should confess it was great fun. "

Jenn | 3/2/2013

" This book was so highly boring I couldn't even get to the end of it. I kept trying and trying and I just wanted to fall asleep, so I ended up giving up on it. "

Bettynz | 10/14/2012

" Excellent. Rebus rocks on. "

Eddie | 8/28/2012

" Better than many contemporary crime novelists. I like it when some politics are thrown in and it makes sense. This may be the best of the Rankin books I've read so far. "

Marianne | 8/22/2012

" Book on CD. Great reader. "

Barbara | 7/26/2012

" Always lots of atmosphere in the rain, cold and fog. "

Amy | 4/3/2012

" Read this book as part of book club and didn't overly enjoy it just not my preferred style.. "

Rick | 3/2/2012

" Another good one. Interesting that it's called Fleshmarket Alley in the States. "

Andreasoldier | 2/2/2012

" Read this a while ago, but one of my favorite Rebus "

Sarah | 12/21/2011

" this was a hard book for me to get into...found the writing didnt leave me fired up to continue but the story line and characters were interesting "

Rita | 10/12/2011

" A very tangled story. I can usually guess whodunnit but I was mystified this time. Really good read. "

Stephanie | 9/8/2011

" I liked Ian Rankin's writing, though I have read that this isn't his best book. I will have to find more by him. It was interesting rambling through the streets of Edinburgh as John Rebus used the old-fashioned way of detecting: talking to folks. "

Chrysostom | 4/9/2011

" Runs out of steam fifty pages short of the end.
"

Lladroluv | 1/12/2011

" My first Ian Rankin & Inspector Rebus--should have started at the beginning instead of #15--but I did enjoy it.
"

Sian | 10/25/2010

" I'm a fan of Ian Rankin and I love how he manages to mingle murder with humour, however it took me a while to get into this one. The pacing was brilliant, but the actual crime, the murder seemed to take a back seat in favour of other crimes. A good book, but not his best.
"

Karen | 10/24/2010

" Another great Rebus novel, having Ken Stott and Claire Price in my mind as the main characters is always an advantage. Thanks to Ian Rankin for superb writing and detail.
"

Colleen | 9/24/2010

" Second time read - still loved it!
"

Douglas | 8/23/2010

" First sentence, "I'm not supposed to be here," Detective Inspector John Rebus said."
"

Marianne | 6/21/2010

" Book on CD. Great reader.
"

Deidre | 6/6/2010

" Yeah, well. When in doubt, read a British mystery.
"

Autumn | 5/3/2010

" Going to Scotland with me!
"

Monsters | 3/24/2010

" Boy, that Glasgow sure is gritty.
"

Ai-lin | 3/21/2010

" Having read quite a few Ian Rankin's Rebus, this is one is not as dark or brooding as the others. As always..loved it.
"

Peter | 2/24/2010

" I love Ian Rankin and John Rebus. This was a personal favorite of mine.
"

Other Titles by Ian Rankin:

About the Author

Ian Rankin is an award-winning and crime writer best known for his Inspector Rebus novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Rather Be the Devil and Even Dogs in the Wild. He is a winner of the Edgar Award and the Crime Writers of America’s Gold Dagger Award, among others, and was the recipient of a Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship.

About the Narrator

Michael Page has been recording audiobooks since 1984 and has over two hundred titles to his credit. He has won eleven AudioFileEarphones Awards and in 2012 was a winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. As a professional actor, he has performed regularly since 1998 with the Peterborough Players in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He is a professor of theater at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.